In the early 1990s, Japan's Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation (PNC) -- a nuclear energy research organization which is now part of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) -- created a pro-nuclear PR cartoon entitled "Pluto-kun, Our Reliable Friend." The aim of the animated film, which features the company mascot Pluto-kun, is to dispel some of the fears surrounding plutonium. Scroll down for a rough summary.

[~1:30] The video begins with Pluto-kun disguised as a ghost. He explains that much of the fear surrounding plutonium is due to misconceptions. He says that it is very unfortunate that plutonium is used in nuclear weapons [like the one dropped on Nagasaki]. But he hates war! He loves to work for peace. He aspires to be like dynamite, whose power has been used for the benefit of mankind.

[1:30] Pluto-kun provides some basic information about plutonium. He explains that plutonium is created from uranium in nuclear reactors. He also says it was discovered by the US scientist Glenn T. Seaborg in 1940, and that it was named after the dwarf planet Pluto. (See Wikipedia for more.)

[2:30] Misconception #1 -- Pluto-kun addresses the fear that criminals could obtain plutonium and build a nuclear weapon. He explains two reasons why this would be virtually impossible. First, weapons require plutonium with a purity of at least 93%, but plutonium from reactors is only about 70% pure. A high level of technology would be required to produce weapons from this plutonium. Second, a high level of security is maintained around plutonium in Japan, making it all but impossible to steal.

[4:00] Misconception #2 -- Pluto-kun addresses the fear that plutonium is deadly and causes cancer. Plutonium's danger to the human body stems from the alpha radiation it emits. Because alpha radiation is relatively weak, it does not penetrate the skin, and plutonium is not absorbed into the body if it comes into contact with skin. He explains that you would not die instantly if you were to drink plutonium. If swallowed, the vast majority simply passes through the digestive tract without being absorbed. If it enters the blood stream (through a cut, for example) it cannot be removed easily from the body. It accumulates in the lymph nodes before ending up in the bones or liver, where it continues emitting alpha radiation. Plutonium can also get into the liver or bones if it is inhaled into the lungs. It is important not to breathe it in or allow it to enter the blood stream.

[6:00] No human is ever known to have died because of inhaling or ingesting plutonium.

[7:00] Pluto-kun explains what would happen if criminals dumped plutonium into a reservoir that provides our drinking water. Plutonium is heavy and it does not dissolve easily in water, so most of it would sink to the bottom. Even if you were to drink plutonium-laced water everyday, the vast majority of it would simply pass through the digestive system without being absorbed by the body.

[7:30] Pluto-kun suggests that the dangers of plutonium are often overemphasized, making it seem scarier than it actually is. He explains that most people associate plutonium with deadly radiation and nuclear weapons, but he likens this to a fear of non-existent ghosts.

[9:40] Pluto-kun explains that he is not a monster, and he asks you to understand who he truly is. As long as people use him peacefully and with care, there will never be any danger or anything to fear. He will provide an endless source of energy for a long time to come. He will be a reliable friend.

Seaborg

Miserably ironic, indeed. Viewed in the context of the current crisis, this seems like some sort of twisted parody. The cheerful music only exaggerates the horror.

Still, I want to remain open-minded and wonder how much truth there is to the message here. Is it really considered safe to drink plutonium? Has nobody ever died from inhaling or ingesting it? How much of our fear is irrational?

Tokyo Joe

Entertaining cartoon, but with the international media administering dose after dose of doom and gloom from Japan, we'll probably soon see them pointing to Pluto-kun as an example of why the Japanese government cannot be trusted.

Please understand that this old piece of propaganda, disturbing as it may seem, is in no way a reflection of the way the Japanese authorities are handling the Fukushima situation. If anything, it highlights the lengths to which a government must go in order to get people behind their pro-nuclear agenda.

I think the Japanese government should be commended for the job they are doing at Fukushima. No doubt the situation is terrible, but they are fighting their hardest to keep it under control. They have been methodical and open with the information they know, despite what you might hear in the non-Japanese media. I've looked pretty hard, and I haven't seen any evidence of a cover-up or gross incompetence. They have my confidence despite their cute little Pluto-kun demon.

misitu

Your post gives me the distinct but no doubt unmerited impression that you must be having a laugh.

One example should do: that the Honourable Japanese government and the Honourable Tokyo Electric Power Company denied a meltdown for weeks, at the same time insisting that the effects of the Honourable Tsunami had caused the Dai-ichi loss of cooling incidents. Within recent weeks, said Honourable organisations admitted three meltdowns, then melt-throughs possibly melt-outs, and admitted that the loss of coolant had followed the Honourable earthquake and preceded Honourable arrival of tsunami.

I would also like to point out that "fighting hard" was what the Russians/Soviets did to mitigate Chernobyl, and any similarity to recent events in Japan is completely imaginary.

Jim

"The 10.6 pounds (4.8 kg) of plutonium which did not undergo fission[97] were scattered along with the three pounds (1.4 kg) of fission products. Plutonium produces alpha radiation which cannot penetrate skin, and is not a biological hazard unless ingested or inhaled. However, once inside the body it is significantly toxic both radiologically and chemically, having a heavy metal toxicity on a par with that of arsenic.[98] Estimates based on the Manhattan Project's "tolerance dose" of one microgram of plutonium per worker put 10.6 pounds at the equivalent of about five billion tolerable doses.[99] With a radioactive half-life of 24,200 years, plutonium loses none of its potency during a human lifespan."